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"Read all the words" & "Read in other ways" texts

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"Read all the words" & "Read in other ways" texts

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Love this idea of separating the books available and chosen into these groups of "read all the words" and "read in other ways".  It seems to be nice blend of what we've all been previously taught to instruct and a better understanding of "how" students actually absorb and learn print. I also really liked the charts 6.4 and 6.5.  It gave me a clearer picture of what to look for in our books.  Writing our own aligned texts (6.2) peaked my interest.  I see a lot of doable adjustments, tweaks and planning in our future. :)
Kim

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I have certainly relied on predictable texts with our youngest readers. I appreciated what the authors stated about how this doesn't support orthographic mapping and I have seen firsthand the concerns that they brought up, especially students paying little to no attention to the text and 'reciting' the pattern.

I would be very interested to see what other decodable texts are out there. With the Science of Reading being such a widely-discussed topic, I would assume that authors and publishers are working to create some good quality decodable texts.
Maggie

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Table 5.2 is helpful. I like the examples given and think that getting the students to pay attention to the text, looking at the print is super important to encourage their independence. So many times they just look to us for the answer and showing them that it's their in print gives them control.  I need to rewire my brain though to now rely on "check the picture" " what makes sense". lol. I also liked the chart at 5.7 and think our current strategy cards/posters should be adjusted to simplify.
kim

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I love the idea of "lifting" words to take a closer look. I have certainly done this when a student comes to an unfamiliar word, but like the idea of 'branding' it as lifting with the students. This helps give it a special focus and encouraging students to look at all parts of the word, which we know can be a struggle for many.

I also agree with Nikki and Bri who both mentioned needing to adjust our ISA chart. It may be helpful to put "Look at the sounds in the word" in a larger font to emphasize its importance.
Maggie

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I would really like to try orthographic mapping and so appreciated seeing this explicit example of the routine given.  I also think that K should look at our sight word lists and adjust.
Kim

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I love how fundations follows a managable scope and sequence. We've had the flexibility to slow down, or speed up  and adjust if needed after talking with one another. But I'd like to do more small group work with patterns, and skills.  I think word chains, letter tile work and decodable books are good places to practice a skill. I traditionally haven't liked decodables (always found them silly and stilted) but I think there are newer, more interesting versions available and am seeing the need to use them now.  I also love the idea of more focused/fluid WIN groups based on a phonics skill.
Kim

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This shift has been the most challenging shift for me up to this point. I appreciate the authors' explanation for orthographic mapping and believe that I can certainly use this to support students as they learn high frequency words. I found Table 4.6 (p. 104) to be especially helpful.

I am still a bit unsure about the best ways to support the learning of the rest of the high-frequency words, including those that are decodable. I always believed that learning high-frequency words allowed students to read more easily (less words needing sounding out), which supports fluency and confidence. The authors mentioned that not all words will require so much explicit instructional support. What should we do for the others? I'm looking forward to more conversation about this together!
Maggie

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Read All the Words Texts and Read in Other Ways Texts

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Read All the Words Texts and Read in Other Ways Texts

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I am already thinking about changing how I book shop/have students select independent texts.  I love the idea of the separate baggies.  Students will love chatting with friends about the text in the "read in other ways" baggie.  It is great that there is a mix of texts because I know that independent reading time is not just all about looking the part.  "Choice doesn't have to mean limitless choice" stuck out to me in this shift.
-Alex

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Isolating and segmenting sounds (needs to be moved to shift 2- sorry :)

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Isolating and segmenting sounds (needs to be moved to shift 2- sorry :)

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At the beginning of the year I want to use small group for more sound sorts and segmentation of sounds with elkonin boxes.  I think the use of them should become more routine in my class, so I'll also incorporate them into my morning message slides
Kim

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As an interventionist, I am fortunate enough work with my students in small groups every day. This offers me the opportunity to assess daily. That being said, I believe that I can improve my assessments. During this past school year, I began using dictation sentences more often. I plan to spend more time doing so this year as I think this is a great way to progress monitor the different components of the orthographic learning.
Maggie

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Figure 6.4 and 6.5 was a great visual as to how decodable text and predictable text align with the three tensions. It think it was important that they reiterated how these two texts aren't mutually exclusive and how we need to evaluate the text on its ability to meet students' needs. I feel this simple resource can enable teachers to look at much of their beginning-level text and evaluate it accordingly and find that all or most can be used effectively in new ways.
-Emily

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I want to build in more intentional high leverage routines to encourage their understanding.  I realize that many times I rely on yes, no or recalling a specific thing when asking questions. I know this is because I always feel time crunched with activities. But I love the examples to get the kiddos to think and answer more thoughtfully and with a deeper understanding. I need to pick and choose a few conversation/question starters to get them to think beyond the basic and use that language consistently.
- Kim

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Daily Tasks to Support Phonemic Awareness

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Daily Tasks to Support Phonemic Awareness

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We certainly practice phonemic awareness on a regular basis, but I have not been doing so daily, which will change this year. I plan to put the skill progression (p. 60) leading to phonemic awareness proficiency somewhere that I can see it daily to ensure that the students are working their way through that progression and working towards those power skills.
Maggie

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One strategy I don't often gravitate towards is removing the tricky word from the text. Yet I have aimed to remove the distractions of surrounding text by blocking off or boxing in the tricky word, so that students were more visually focused. Relocating it on a white board or paper however, allows for orthographic mapping and help makes that connection to writing.
-Emily

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I loved this line from the text: "You don't have to water language down for children." I don't think any of us do this intentionally, but I know I am certainly guilty! Why not use our everyday conversations with students to introduce new language?! Creating a list of the new words that we learn together is a great way to motivate students to want to continue to grow and add new interesting words to their repertoire. (This will help enhance their writing as well too, of course.)
Maggie

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I always start the year teaching and offering many ways the students can read their books. I hadn't thought about putting books from book groups into independent reading baskets but that would certainly boost access to familiar materials. I don't know that we have the time to be evaluating texts but it is something to consider. We are so very fortunate to have the book libraries that we have.  The students have so much to choose from.  I will look more carefully at patterned texts in the future and see if there are some we should avoid using.
Krista

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Reading Texts Matched to Students' Developing Print Knowledge Makes Word-Solving Increasingly Automatic
I liked that this shift confirmed what I had already thought about the value of high-volume independent reading.  Yes- we want students to read independently, but much of the benefit of independent reading can be lost if students don't spend a lot of their time with texts that match their current skills as readers.  Texts that require early readers to have lots of chances to prove and practice what they are currently learning create opportunities for self-teaching and eventually automaticity.  Students cannot learn everything about orthographic mapping from explicit phonics instruction alone- they need independent practice with orthographic mapping, which means they need to spend time with aligned texts with orthographic patterns within the student's reach.  I'm going to use the suggestions mentioned in the section, "Zooming In on Supported Book Choice" for teacher-supported book shopping.
~Jess E.

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Have students become comfortable with Look before you leap will help establish a consistent process of looking at print first then moving on to meaning and structure. They may also develop habits of first looking at print, then checking the meaning and going back to check the print.  This follows the skill of 'check and double check'.  Using the language of "Start with the letters", or "Look at the letters" is better than saying "Sound it out".  I also was intrigued by lifting a word and taking it to writing.
Krista

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Read All the Words vs. Read in Other Ways Texts

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Read All the Words vs. Read in Other Ways Texts

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I really like the idea of students having two different bags of books- one for reading all the words and another for reading in other ways. Especially for students who are below-level readers, having access to the two different types of books could really help with their motivation and engagement during independent reading time.
- Cassie

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First Look and Then Leap
This shift is asking us to reconsider the meaning-approach to word-solving and asking us to prioritize the visual information when word-solving.  I plan to start with the print with my Kindergarteners before asking them to add context.  I think saying, "We are all going to start with the same strategy- looking at the word..." and modeling this strategy, gives early readers a focused word-solving approach that will draw on students' phonics knowledge/ our phonics instruction.  I will model the adding context strategy for students to cross-check for meaning and accuracy.  The prompts suggested in Figure 5.7 are similar to what we've been using as educators, but perhaps not in that order.  I like this order, because I feel that its procedural structure gives students a clear path to word-solving and meaning-making.
~Jess E.

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I will be encouraging students to use the 'look before you leap' routine.  I had been told over and over also to not tell students to "sound it out", so this is shifting my mindset completely.  I will use Figure 5.7 for prompts to use when reading with students to look, leap, check, and rebuild.
-Alex

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Table 4.6 was most interesting to me throughout this shift and as most everyone stated, I want to use this moving forward.  I want to really analyze the sounds in the words and divide the letters of the word in boxes.  I also want to focus on high frequency word learning throughout the day and not just during phonics time.  I would love to use a new assessment for monitoring these words.
-Alex

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I felt like the word 'assessment' jumped out to me the entire chapter.  Also the chart on page 73- "Responsive Phonics Instruction."  I need to spend more time assessing/collecting data so that I can differentiate and make instruction meaningful.  I don't often go back and preview previously taught skills unless it is built in the lessons or it is a quick summary before starting a new lesson.
-Alex

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I have used Lucy's sequence of introducing high-frequency words for the past several years. I am not opposed to rethinking about the order in which we teach the words and maybe prioritize them differently?
I also may try putting high-frequency word learning at other times in the day (read-aloud)
We also test students on if they can read the words but we don't assess if they can spell them.
Krista

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I really focused on the chart on page 58 showing the different between letters and sounds.  I need to be more mindful of this when teaching.  I also like the "Guess My Secret Word", and I can use Elkonin boxes in small group work.
-Alex

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I feel as though I already zoom in on interesting words and incorporate strong vocabulary throughout the day, but I need to do a better job with the expand and engage piece during reading conversation.  I move on too quickly because I always feel pressed for time, but I know those conversations are so valuable.
-Alex

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I read what Sarah suggested and I love the idea of extending sessions for a 2nd day.  Also a dictation sentence at the end of a week is a great way to gauge the mastery for students in a quick and informal way. I have done "making words" with letter tiles in the past but with larger class sizes the materials are hard to manage. I have become placant with just having them write on white boards but I think the manipulation of letter tiles is a key component.
Krista

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While I think I do a good job of identifying those frequently misspelled words, I don't always intentionally teach them, especially to the whole group. Mapping the words and having students make a connection between the auditory and visual will help them anchor it in their brains.
-Emily

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The strategy of taking words to writing is one that I will utilize. Taking the word out of the text to be able to chunk it will eliminate other distractions and allow students to focus on just the print and the sounds in that word. Then, guiding them through blending, making the leap, orthographic mapping, and taking the word back into the book to reread the sentence.
- Cassie

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Currently, the word lists assigned to students through our spelling inventory and Words Their Way are designed to "meet students where they are". The program offers no systematic routine in which to teach the patterns and skills students need. While teachers have worked to develop practices and routines, it is certainly not a one size fits all. From week to week, students may need differentiation versus initial instruction and to take the time to really understand and apply the skills. This means that rather than being simply exposed, they are taught. -Emily

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Intentionally implementing phonemic practice through out the day is crucial beyond the primary grades. I like the idea of having students in third grade Playing "Guess my Secret Word". This can easily become a component to book group/small group instruction. I would also like to use a formal phonemic assessment at the being of the school year to get an initial baseline.
-Emily

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I feel I already do a nice job of encouraging my students to notice new vocabulary and integrate it into their speaking and writing.  To enhance regular usage and have them fully adopt that vocabulary I would look to create individual and classroom word walls. This would not only create a list but share the meaning and proper usage of such vocabulary.
-Emily

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What made we think was... confirming that early readers may not be reading text that support building comprehension.  Therefore, the importance of read-aloud and discussion about books students hear continues to be just as important in those early years.
Robin

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I found the discussion of the three tensions interesting. Putting them all together in a graphic organizer with a scale helped me - page 141, Figure 6.4. Even more helpful was the examples using these tension scales in Figure 6.5 on page 142. "Scoring" every book for students would be a difficult task, but I feel considering books while keeping this scale in mind would help to create a balanced library for beginning readers. I was pleased to see that the decodables weren't the only type of book recommended that that a thoughtful balance was discussed instead. ~Deb

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Elkonin Boxes
I feel this type of activity will greatly enhance the students work with segmenting.  We can easily create these and I have seen lots of ideas online where teachers use the pop-it toys that are popular.
I also found the reminder to say "sounds" vs. "letters" to be helpful.  I want to try and do more 'on the go' oral activities while transitioning or waiting for students to gather on the carpet.
Krista

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I like Bri's idea of possibly moving around the strategy chart.  I also need to do better with modeling "looking closely at the word".  I also would like to learn more morphology awareness, especially for my older students.
Robin

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Orthographic Mapping, Phonology, and Organization of High-frequency Words for Instruction Based on Decodability or Alignment to Phonics Rules
I would have my high-frequency word instruction focus on connecting speech to print through orthographic mapping.  Elkonin boxes are a great tool to provide an auditory and visual model of the alignment between sounds and letters.  I will focus on phonology, modeling stretching a word, listening for each distinct sound in order, and paying attention to how the sounds correspond to the print.  Also, organizing high-frequency words for instruction based on decodability or alignment to phonics rules, will make high-frequency word instruction more relevant.
~Jess E.

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I was a little disappointed with the 2nd part of shift 6 in one way. I was hoping for a "ah ha" moment. I feel we do have a great plan in place the way independent reading is balanced, that coincides with everything the authors are suggesting. There are great take aways from this book though. I will say I book shop with my students, they usually end up keep a few books from the previous week, because they are great negotiators... but really those books make them feel confident, next they have some books from our small group, then they have some new "independent reads." Meeting with student's 1 or 2 times after book shopping and talking to them about which books are the most challenging that they chose and then working through those texts together is powerful. -Sarah

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Scope and Sequence, Word Lists, and Decodable Texts
It would be beneficial if we had a phonics scope and sequence to use as a tool to plan developmentally-appropriate phonics instruction and intentionally scaffold student learning. Also, if we were provided word lists and dictation sentences to use to assess recently-taught phonics skills, it would ensure consistency of student-monitoring. I think right now, we as teachers, plan and assess with everything at our disposal, but perhaps streamlining this would be more efficient. And decodable readers for students are a must- if the students don't have access to these texts, they won't have the opportunity to practice the phonics skills taught.
~Jess E.

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I tend to move too quickly to the next question or comment without giving value to what one student shared so I intend to focus on Repeating and Expanding upon students' responses. I may ask other students to add on to what another student said or try replacing words they use with more explicit vocabulary words.
Krista

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I really loved the way that Table 4.6 broke down the orthographic mapping routine and I will definitely be utilizing this moving forward. I can see how seeing the connection to the spoken sound and which sounds have irregular spellings will be really beneficial to the students.
- Cassie

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As Bri stated here, in looking at Table 3.3 and thinking about the current Lucy program, it does not allow for us to practice these routines. I would love to slow things down and really utilize each of these routines in a meaningful way. This will also need to include routine assessments of the skills that are being taught so that we are able to go back and have review time. Right now, we plow through skills and don't have time to go back or slow down.
- Cassie

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FUN explicit phonemic awareness instruction
I will play the "Name Game" as part of our morning meeting where we will manipulate the sounds by changing the letters in our names. I plan to play onset and rime games to make learning the sounds more fun and engaging. We will sing songs and nursery rhymes to allow for students to not only hear the sounds but to say and sing along too. I will model how to use Elkonin boxes to segment the distinct sounds in each box and slide their finger to blend the word. I will work on segmenting and blending with small groups, where I can monitor and support students' phonemic awareness. This data will act as a tool to plan targeted phonemic awareness instruction.
~Jess E.

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Underlining vowels has been a huge eye- opener for my students who are trying to decode multisyllabic words. Since English rules dictate one vowel or vowel pair per word part/syllable, underlining the vowels helps students to see each word part and allows them to decode the word much more easily. ~Deb

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I really like the table on pages 123-124. I think this progression gives students the time and space to figure out a word independently. It reminds students that the visual cues are most important and should be used first, and then reminds them to check in on their meaning. ~Deb

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Oral language-rich classroom
I will be intentional in my use of language and provide lots of opportunities for conversation during check-ins, our morning meetings, interactive read-alouds, small group work, partner work, and coaching conferences. Integrating an extensive vocabulary into the language of my classroom will give students greater access to the print as they will need to activate this vocabulary knowledge as they grow as readers. I see this as a way of promoting student engagement.  I also see this helping struggling readers gain confidence as they achieve success in oral language experiences.
~Jess E.

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I loved the idea of writing the word, on a white board in chunks... I do that on a post it or with the text, but making it larger is a great idea.   I really do focus on visual first and have for a long time... I am surprised they have not mentioned the power of reading out loud... maybe it's a given, but when the brain hears the sounds you are trying it often does all the hard work.  My early lessons are all about reading the parts of tricky words out loud... and stopping the stigma of how weird they sound when they don't sound right... then we study the word, then we keep trying then focus on does that make sense. --Sarah

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I can see how hearing the sounds in words and then seeing how the sounds are actually spelled in words can be beneficial for our students when trying to learn words that are not decodable.
Robin

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I still have to say Lucy Phonics does a great job with the same approach these authors have. I have to wonder if they are connected. The one piece would be to monitor better student's writing for high frequency word mastery. -Sarah

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I think that building daily phonemic awareness routines into small group reading instruction would be very effective. I utilize some of the suggestions listed in the text, but definitely not consistently. Having students in a routine of blending, segmenting and manipulating would be great practice and review! I like the idea of adding in a multisensory approach during these routines as well, such as Elkonin boxes.
- Cassie

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With Lucy phonics there would be ample time to include small group practice.  We finish the units too early in the school year.  Maybe this coming school year we spend 2 days per session to include small group practice/assessment.  -Sarah

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I will focus on exposing students to new words through our daily routines and procedures in the classroom. Being intentional about every word that I use in the classroom can help deepen the vocabulary of the students. When higher-level vocabulary words are used often, children will have repeated exposure and will naturally begin to incorporate those interesting words into their own vocabularies.
- Cassie

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I will pay more attention to having students determine how many sounds (or word parts for multisyllabic words) are in a word and then make boxes/lines themselves and try to fill them in. Often my students forget the third sound or word part by the time they get to it when trying to build words. I think this practice would help them put all the parts together.
~Deb

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I will be the first person to acknowledge my bias against decodable texts. However, because "letting go of biases" was one of the rules of our K-2 phonics committee, I will clear out some space in my heart for good quality decodable texts. I was thrilled to see that the authors of the Six Shifts addressed many of the same concerns I have about decodable texts, and shared some great information about how to evaluate texts for proper alignment. Predictability can be a big issue in beginning texts, so it is very important for students to be exposed to texts that do not have predictable patterns as well. I think that finding the balance and giving students practice with many kinds of high quality texts is the key.

-Nikki B.

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With a quick assessment we (Jess and I) could be used during WIN time to help target those students that need extra practice with a phonics rule.
Robin

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Read all the words and Read in other ways

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Read all the words and Read in other ways

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I have always felt that the predictable pattern texts were sometimes a roadblock to some students in their reading journey.  This shift has helped me to understand this idea.  Even though no book is perfect, teachers have the ability to use a book as a tool.  We can set the purpose and guide students to what we need or want them to take away from a specific book.

This shift also reinforced for me the importance of decodable readers and well written decodable readers with some plot.  As classroom teachers we have a very limited amount of decodable readers (the old Treasures decodable readers).  Some of these texts are usable but many do not have a real story line that can be followed.  I hope we will invest in decodable readers for classroom teachers.  Even in second grade there are struggling readers who would benefit from these types of texts.

Right away I will be tweaking the way that students book shop.  Having the additional bag will be helpful in their book bins.  Also, having students swap only a certain number of texts will allow students to still feel confident reading (with books they know already) and then explore the new texts they choose.
~Bri

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Revisiting our current reading strategies chart/orthographic mapping

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Revisiting our current reading strategies chart/orthographic mapping

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I think it's important for students to have access to reading strategies that address all three (MSV) types of cues, but I do think our current reading strategies chart can be a little overwhelming for some students. I like Bri's suggestion: using our current ISA reading strategies chart, but maybe just re-organizing it to put more of an emphasis on trying the visual/decoding strategies first, then using meaning and syntax next.  This learning tool could be a part of the discussion with students about what they should try first when they come to an unknown word. So many students will sit there, stumped and puzzled, not knowing what to try first.

Just like using orthographic mapping for high-frequency words, it makes sense to “pull out” puzzling words from the text, and study them in a way that helps students "add to their learned store of letter sequences" (p. 120). Writing these words, breaking them apart using Elkonin boxes, noticing familiar patterns, and having students match the orthography to the sounds while they reread them aloud will help students understand the importance  (and get into the habit) of paying attention to the every part of a word.

- Nikki B.

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I feel that speech and language services may be able to address some of the students with needs specific to phonological awareness.  If we have a utilized short assessment we could identify students who are having trouble developing these skills and identify specifically what their needs are. We could provide a targeted intervention to get them back on course.
Robin

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I love the idea of deliberate practice with the day's mini-lesson focus.  It is usually a hit or miss... I often wish I write down the days we actually have a guided reading book that connected with the lesson and it is hard to judge who got it and who did not.  Our spelling inventory is the best assessment at this time for gaging understanding. I also think Lucy's Phonics does a good job following the recommended scope/sequence on table on table 3.1. -Sarah

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This is something I have been thinking about using more especially during small group instruction.  I also thinking modeling during read alouds with big books and poems would be a great time. Also more fun with word work.... I feel I used to do more of this a while ago.   I still believe as with any language the sooner children are exposed to all aspects... verbal, printed, written, the sooner the code is cracked.  -Sarah

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The Cunningham Making Words program is a great way to give students the opportunity to use letter tiles to manipulate words in word chains, as described on pages 82-83. I use this with my students and it has many lessons with word lists already created. It helps students learn to start from the beginning of a word and work their way through to build it. I find when my students can successfully build one and two-syllable words, that they are ready to move on to morphology awareness work, decoding 3-5 syllable words using the same techniques. I do want to start having students write out words by hand more often. I think that is an intervention that I often skip over when working with my students. ~Deb

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I think we need a scope and sequence for our phonics program with common language so we can unite this instruction across K-2. I feel we have good teachers and good instruction. Uniting the language and formats of instruction could pull all of this good teaching together and make it uniform for students, which would benefit their reading progress as they advance through the early grades.
~Deb

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I know a few other teachers have already pointed out the importance of orthographic mapping for high frequency words. I like the description of how the teacher (Ms. Ellis) used orthographic mapping with her students on page 107. It makes sense for students to learn the conventional spelling of irregular high frequency words, and for this skill to be assessed (along with how well they can read these words). I think orthographic mapping, along with rote practice (both in and out of context) of irregular words is important for them to become automatic. There are some words that are in no way decodable and students need repeated practice reading and writing these words with their conventional spelling (ideally in a multi-sensory way).

-Nikki B.

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Scope and sequence/using formative assessments to guide instruction

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Scope and sequence/using formative assessments to guide instruction

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I think the idea of sequential phonics instruction is crucial, and I think implementing a set scope and sequence K-2 will help everyone tackle reading instruction in a much more efficient way. I have a great opportunity in working with small groups to dig in and practice skills that students are learning in the classroom in a meaningful way, and I can align my instruction to review/reinforce skills that have already been taught.

Also, I would really like to use formative assessments in a more organized and systematic way to guide my instruction and to check for mastery before moving on to a more complex skill. This goes back to what I wrote about for Shift #2, and what Bri said here!! Routines, routines, routines. I need to build more formative assessments into my regular planning. I loved the idea of using dictated sentences as a way to check students' mastery of certain phonics skills. This could be done quickly and regularly, with a focus on a specific phonics skill.

-Nikki B

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I was really happy to see Table 2.10 on page 58. I have been using the term "sound" versus "letter" with my students who struggle with decoding and encoding, having no idea if this was a good idea. I find my students get confused and frustrated because the name of the letter is different than the sound. I am trying to separate the two and focus on the sound. I also like the idea of using a mirror to show students their mouths when making sounds. Many of my students are very visual and I think this would help my struggling students make some sense of the sounds.
~Deb

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I will focus on being more intentional when talking with students and pay closer attention to the questions that I ask of them. Also, I usually ask and they answer, and then I ask a different question. There isn't any volley. I will try now to expand on the same topic before moving on.
~Deb

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I will try to include more purposeful use of interesting words.  I will try to allow myself more time to work with words to develop an understanding of meaning and use.  My students often need extended practice and multiple repetitions of a task to gain mastery.  They love read-alouds but they take us a long time to get through...I need to be ok with this!
Robin

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I would like to use the Three Tensions to help decide which text would be best for the students.  I also liked when they mentioned to use 2 bags ("read-all-the-words" books  & "read-in-other-ways" books) for independent reading.  I would like to incorporate this in my classroom.

~ Anna

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Using the Table 5.2 (High-Leverage Instructional Routines) would be beneficial when supporting problem solving words.  Start with print (looking at the tricky word), Look at all the letters (see what they can figure out), Making the Leap, then cross-checking (rereading to be sure it makes sense and sounds right).

~ Anna

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This is a new and interesting way of looking at beginning texts for me.  This shift made me look at and think of texts differently than I have.  I am wondering how many books that are currently in the classroom libraries would be balanced when looking at the 3 tensions?

Jess C.

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For me, the recommendation that stood out to me was developing a "few high-leverage instructional routines". I feel like I have a pretty good sense the types of activities I can (and do) do with children to help them develop phonemic awareness, but what I feel like is missing is a system for implementing them in a strategic way.  I feel like my activities are a bit scattered and sporadic. Instead, I would really like to get in the habit of building phonemic awareness routines into each reading group daily.

-Nikki B.

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My next step will be to intergrate orthographic mapping throughout my instructional day (during read-alouds/shared reading, guided reading, independent reading, and writing conferences).

~ Anna

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Encourage the "Look before you leap" routine

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Encourage the "Look before you leap" routine

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Encouraging the "look before you leap" routine seems like a nice systematic approach to figuring out those more tricky words.  Also, modeling this for students will be helpful.

Jess C.

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The ISA model provides both print, meaning and structure strategies for decoding words.  I am hoping to model each of the strategies and create a routine for beginning with the print strategies first.  It might be beneficial to possibly move around the strategies on our charts to have the print strategies located first on the sheet, then working our way to the meaning based strategies.  Providing modeling of the print based strategies (and meaning based) during read-alouds, shared reading and small group would be very beneficial.  Many students need these strategies explicitly taught and modeled multiple times to understand how to apply them independently.  Model, Model, Model

Side note:  instead of the term 'tricky' words, maybe use the term 'puzzling' words.  Puzzling words sets students up to think about solving something instead of thinking that something is hard for them.
~Bri

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My next steps will be to slow down.  I will not continue the next lessons if I see students are not getting the lesson I am teaching.  I want to be able to have a plan for ongoing practice, assessments, and reteaching.

~ Anna

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It was interesting to read and learn about orthographic mapping and how to use it during instruction. I feel this would be a good start.

Jess C.

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Shift 4 has reminded me of the importance of orthographic mapping.  First focusing on the sounds in words and then aligning and breaking words into parts or patterns.  Integrating this mapping into read-aloud time and small group instruction time will help to reinforce these critical words/skills. I would like to focus on the first 13 and then the 109 as needed (especially for students who struggle).  I need to work on connecting this to our writing instruction and writing time (when I meet with students for conferencing and modeling for whole group).  Bringing these routines into writing time will also help to connect meaning and context to these words.
~Bri

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Having conversations with teachers regarding individual students and their needs.  Helping with carryover and getting extra practice on certain targeted skills.

Jess C.

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Continue work with teaching/producing phonemes using various articulatory gestures.  Build in short/quick structured time within therapy sessions to target specific phonemic awareness skills.

Jess C.

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Use Phonemic Awareness Instruction Throughout the Day

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Use Phonemic Awareness Instruction Throughout the Day

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My next step will be to incorporate phonemic awareness instruction throughout the day.  I would like to do a quick task during morning meeting, during reading/writing time (whole/small group), and during transitions. This would be in addition to our Phonics time.  One task that I would like to incorporate in my teaching (during small group) is the sound segmenting using Elkonin Boxes.

~ Anna

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My next steps will be to have more higher level conversations, throughout the day, with my students.  I will use more interesting and rich vocabulary.  Also during silent reading time, I will have the students write any unknown vocabulary words they do not know on a sticky note.  Then post it on a chart so we can have a discussion.

~ Anna

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Shift 3 has solidified for me the importance of effective instructional routines in phonics.  Based on our current program Lucy Calkins phonics, there are not embedded instructional routines for teaching phonics skills and practicing those skills.  My next step will be to implement the steps listed in Table 3.3.  phonemic awareness, explicit instruction of new skill, blending with new skill, building words, writing words, studying spelling patterns of new skill, DECODABLE READERS (materials to apply new skills being taught in context-this is missing within our current program),  and assessments to drive practice and review (also lacking in current program).  I will also be looking to create spelling dictation sentences to informally assess students application of new and past phonics skills taught.
~Bri

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I will continue to focus on listening comprehension within therapy sessions.  Focus will be on asking quality questions, allowing for meaningful conversations to happen, as well as, helping to build background knowledge.

Jess C.

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There are times during our phonics instruction that we do some whole group phonemic awareness (not as much as we could).  However, I would love to focus on my small groups and begin each small group reading time with a quick phonemic awareness review or introduction.  Within the groups it would be easier to see the variety of skill levels and to meet the needs of various groups/students.  Differentiation could occur more easily within the small group and informal data tracking as well.  Articulatory gestures for students who struggle would be an additional space I would like to commit too.  The use of mirrors would be very beneficial to these students along with specific instruction on mouth/lip/tongue placement.
~Bri

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I have always had Monday Morning Share... it is all oral and takes time but we all get so much out it and connect, maybe we do more than one day a week in the younger grades.  Then sticking too a quality read aloud daily... I am heading to Barnes and Nobles next!!!
-Sarah A.

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My next steps for supporting oral language development will be centered around the meaning and context processing systems.  During interactive read-alouds, I plan to have students share with their partner what a word means in their own words after I have explained it to them.  I will also be asking for multiple examples of how the word is used.  In addition, I will be having students create an interesting word log in their Reader's Notebook where they can keep track of new words and what they mean and have examples.  We will challenge each other to use these new words throughout our days.

-Bri

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Using read-aloud texts to strengthen listening comprehension in early grades

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Using read-aloud texts to strengthen listening comprehension in early grades

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I plan to start incorporating more read-aloud texts into my lessons to expose students to new vocabulary words, deepen their understanding of language structure/syntax, and teach into some deeper understanding skills (such as inferring). Students at the younger grades should be exposed to some of the oral language skills that these texts encourage, even if they are not able to access the the print yet.

-Nikki B.